Archive for the 'Shane Victorino' Tag Under 'Angels' Category

The much-maligned World Baseball Classic has been blamed for every injury suffered since by any of its participants.

Yes, the Mets had the most players in the WBC, and their roster has been decimated by injuries. But am I supposed to believe getting hit in the head by a Matt Cain fastball in August has anything to do with David Wright playing for Team USA in March?

Despite the handicap of playing in the WBC, Miguel Cabrera (Venezuela) and Derek Jeter (Team USA) will finish in the top three for American League Most Valuable Player -- if one of them doesn't win it over Joe Mauer (who wasn't on the U.S. roster).

That's Cabrera on the right, before he put on his Detroit Tigers uniform.

Those two aren't the only two WBC players to have survived the injury bug and thrive. It's nearly impossible to even cut it to a 25-man roster, even excluding Wright, who is back from his concusssion and doing well except for not hitting home runs.

Sure, Chone Figgins deserved to represent the Angels in next week's All-Star Game -- and, if there's any justice, Figgy will be added to the team if teammate Torii Hunter has to be replaced because of injury.

Detroit's Brandon Inge, who beat Texas' Ian Kinsler and Figgins in the Final Five voting by fans, at least makes sense as an addition to the AL All-Stars -- especially since the game stupidly means World Series home-field advantage.

Figgins is a versatile player, and could easily serve as a backup outfielder as well as a third baseman (or second baseman, or shortstop). But Inge goes him one better by being able to catch.

Inge is having a fine year offensively, with 19 homers, 54 RBIs and a .500 slugging percentage.

It's the All-Star Game in St. Louis, with home-field advantage in the World Series on the line (which I think is absurd, but that's another post). The score is tied.

Prince Fielder of the Milwaukee Brewers doubles with two outs, and .326-hitting Miguel Tejada of the Houston Astros is due up. AL manager Joe Maddon elects to have Jonathan Papelbon pitch to Tejada, with lefty-hitting Brad Hawpe (.327) of the Colorado Rockies on deck.

NL manager Charlie Manuel scans his bench for a possible pinch-runner for the lumbering Fielder. Washington's Ryan Zimmerman and Pittsburgh's Freddy Sanchez are available, but neither one is a burner. Four of the eight NL starting pitchers selected are still available, but no All-Star manager is going to risk somebody else's ace on the bases. Plus they are on the squad in the event of extra innings, so no ties have to be declared.

Meanwhile, vacationing someplace or just home, is a very fast player with solid All-Star credentials.